Means To An End
by InsertPeppyNameHere
Summary: Watching his best friend being consumed by the Mark of Cain; Cas decides the only one that can save him, is the sister they thought they lost in the nursery fire. Uncertain of how she fits into all of this, he realizes he might have to trade one life for another. (starts after mid season finale)
1. Chapter 1

_**Okay, I know that there's like a million sisfics on this website. But, I can't help it, I wanted to add one of my own. I love sisfics, I think they're interesting and a fun twist to the story. I like the idea of Sam and Dean having a sister! Let me know what you think of it, and if you want another chapter! **_

_**This picks up right after the mid season finale. My take on it anyways ;) Enjoy!**_

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><p>Castiel wasn't so different from humans. From Sam and Dean... He had secrets. A multitude of secrets that he had kept to himself for centuries. Secrets that would make humanities heads spin, send them into panics to the point the earth would implode. Those he kept for the greater good, because that was his duty. Being an angel wasn't just about being a soldier for heaven, fighting in battles and saving lives. It also meant his mind was an endless well of knowledge that would never run dry.<p>

And he was always fine with that. Never argued, never struggled to understand why, because he knew it was always for the greater good. Part of his duty as protecting humanity was ensuring that certain deep dark dangerous secrets never came out in the open.

But now he was starting to rethink those decisions. Specific secrets, one in particular, that he had never spoken of to his two best friends. Throughout the years and all they had been through together he kept something from them, and to someone like the Winchesters' it was probably the one thing he never should have withheld. But, he did it anyhow, because he was convinced it was for the greater good yet again. And for the years he had known them, had been their friend, had assisted them through the apocalypse and every other world shattering event he never questioned that choice up until right then.

Seeing what Dean had done to that house full of men, seeing the blood splatter and gore... Cas had never been more convinced that he had made a horrible mistake.

The mark was still in control over Dean; no matter how greatly he tried to convince everyone he was well and fine, he wasn't. That had been obvious to Cas even before, especially after Dean had made him promise to take him out should that mark ever take over once again.

Cas didn't respond to that request, hadn't said yes or no on what he would do should that horrible day come. And, honestly... He never expected it to come so soon. It hadn't even been three days since Dean made that request and now, there he stood with Claire sobbing and screaming into his shoulder, and poor Sam an emotional mess himself over what Dean had done.

How... How had it all come down to this?

"Tell me you had no choice, Dean!" Sam said desperately, cradling his brothers face in his hands. "Tell me it was you or them!"

Cas barely heard those words as time seemed to slow, everything started to go dim and his hearing muffled over. Claire sobbing into his shoulder was muted out and through his tunnel vision all he saw was white. Had he not been an angel, had he not been partially cured for the moment with fresh grace, he was convinced he might actually lose consciousness from the shock of it all.

"Dean!" Sam shrieked again, his voice piercing through the muted silence. "Tell me it was you or them!"

Dean swallowed, wobbling back and forth on his knees. "I didn't mean to..."

He passed out shortly after that, collapsing face first into Sam's chest as the knife he held dropped to the floor.

"We gotta get out of here." Sam said, biting back tears. "We need to get him somewhere he can sleep this off."

Cas said nothing... Because he knew there was no sleeping something like this off. This wasn't a drunken stupor, this wasn't something that would disappear after a few hours of laying unconscious on a bed. That mark was there... It was permanent, and the effects from it were permanent too...

Or... Maybe they wouldn't be... Not if he could do something about it before it was too late.

"Cas," Sam turned to him, unable to hold the tears back anymore as they streamed down his face. "Did you hear me? Help me get him to the car!"

He tried to shake off what he was feeling as he pushed Claire away slightly.

"Go wait in the car." He said. "Everything's going to be fine."

She couldn't wait to get out of there as she stormed out the front door and down the porch steps. After that Cas grabbed Dean's right arm while Sam took the left and they lugged him up from the floor and outside. He was out cold for the most part, but every once in a while he'd let out some sort of grunt. They laid him in the back seat of the Impala, while Claire sat in the middle of the front and seconds later they were speeding away from the house and the horrible gore fest Dean had left there.

Cas knew now that he had made a mistake... All those years ago he shouldn't have done what he did. But, at that point in time he thought it was for the best. Heaven... It was corrupt, and he struggled constantly with his orders, and he felt it was bad enough that Sam and Dean had been cursed since childhood, why make it three?

The night of the nursery fire in 1983, the night Azazel cursed Sam with his blood and killed their mother... It wasn't only one infant in the nursery that night... There were two... Sam and Dean's sister, Sam's twin. A little girl named Laura. To Cas' knowledge she was named after Mary's grandmother, or... Maybe an aunt, he couldn't remember which. That night he didn't exactly stop to ask questions. In fact he wasn't even supposed to be there at all, and had his superiors known that he was he probably would have been imprisoned or executed... Punished somehow.

But, once he had come to learn the fates of Sam and Dean, that both brothers were to be vessels and fight and kill each other during the apocalypse, he thought it was unfair for the girl to be cursed too. She was to have a role in all of that as well, while Sam and Dean were the vessels, she was to be... Something else. He never understood what it was until now. Everything had been prophesied by god since the beginning of time; everyone knew about the battle between Lucifer and Michael, the apocalypse that was supposed to happen. But, not many knew about Laura's duty in all of that. It was always said she'd somehow save the righteous man, but up until right then and there Cas didn't know what that meant.

If she was meant to save Dean, then maybe that meant she was to somehow aid in saving him from the damn mark of Cain.

He hoped so anyhow because he just didn't know any other way out of this.

They drove in silence for over an hour, until Claire finally managed to stop crying and fall into an uneasy sleep resting on Cas' shoulder. Sam's expression was stern, harsh and everything in between as he kept his eyes fixed on the dark road ahead.

"What can we do?" He asked, breaking the silence. "To help him, Cas? What can we do?"

Cas felt his jaw clench in response to that question. Because, to his knowledge, Sam and Dean had no idea they had a sister out there. Yes, Dean was old enough after the fire to remember the little girl, but the trauma from seeing that fire and knowing his mother burned in it... It seemed that his little mind at that time had repressed anything that had to do with Sam's twin. And, with Sam only being six months old, naturally he wouldn't remember her either.

Because of that he didn't want to mention what he might have been planning, just in case it all fell through.

"I'm trying to think of something, Sam." He replied finally. "Just try to stay calm."

"Stay calm?" Sam snapped back. "Are you kidding me? You saw what happened back there, you know what Dean became before. We can't let it happen again. We have to do something!"

Claire flinched slightly at Sam's raised voice but didn't wake completely.

"I know." Cas swallowed. "And I can promise you, on everything that I am, that I'm going to do whatever I can to help your brother. I'll find something. There has to be something somewhere that can fix this, Sam. And if there is, I'll find it."

Sam took a few deep breaths, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "Okay. So... In the mean time what am I supposed to do? What's Dean supposed to do? Cause you know, he's not gonna want to go on lock down or something. He'll eventually wanna go back out there and hunt, so what the hell am I supposed to do to keep this from happening again?"

Cas moved his attention to the scenery flying by. "I wish I knew."

"Yeah, that's a big help, Cas." Sam sighed.

"I'm sorry. Believe me I wish I had anwsers, but I'm as knowledged on the mark as you are, Sam. All I know is that it's dangerous, and those that carry it eventually turn into... You know... There's never been anything written or documented that might explain a way of reversing the effects or blocking them."

Which only made him question more whether or not their sister Laura would be the solution... Still, he was willing to at least try.

Sam passed Cas a few quick glances before returning his attention to the road. "So, what are you gonna do?"

"First of all _you're _going to return Dean to the bunker where he can rest. Make him stay there at least for a week or two to fully recuperate and make certain there's no side effects from what happened tonight. After that... If he's really insisting on hunting again, then you need to made sure that _you _are the one that does the killing, Sam. Make him stand on the sidelines if it's at all possible. I know that's going to be difficult, considering how stubborn Dean is, but... You have to make that happen."

"Okay... But you didn't answer my question. What are _you _gonna do?"

Cas sighed at that. "Me... I'm going to go out there and try to find the answer to our problems."

"Alone?" Sam replied. "Don't you think it would be better if we stuck together and did this?"

"This is something that I have to do, Sam. You or Dean can't be involved in it. It could be dangerous and not something that Dean should be associated with."

That was a lie, and of course he felt guilty about it. Going and seeking out their sister wasn't going to be dangerous to anyone. But he was trying to protect the brothers, spare them having to know that this entire endeavor was nothing but a wild goose chase or pipe dream... He didn't want to get their hopes up.

"Are you sure you can handle it on your own?" Sam continued. "You know, with your grace burning away and all."

"For right now I'm perfectly fine. The grace Crowley gave me will last at least a year, maybe even longer than that if I can spare using my powers." He replied.

Now Sam motioned to the teenager passed out in the middle. "What about her?"

"Claire... I'll find a safe place for her to stay. I'll make certain that nothing happens to her."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? Leaving her somewhere? Who's to say if she won't go back out there and get into trouble again?"

She wouldn't... Because Cas wasn't going to leave her behind. He was taking her with him on this journey whether she liked it or not. She was a child and needed to be protected, and even though he wasn't exactly a parental figure he supposed he would have to do. No one else was going to step up and take care of her, and it was his fault that Jimmy was dead, so... Claire was his responsibility now. But, Sam didn't need to know that. Because he had just stated that taking him and Dean with him wasn't an option, so naturally he wouldn't understand why he would take Claire.

It seems the lies were just rolling out of his mouth tonight.

"Cas, be honest with me." Sam said after another minute of silence. "Do you really think we're gonna find a way out of this one?"

He wished Sam hadn't asked him that question.

"I think..." Cas started. "That we will find a way out of it... It's just going to take a very long time, and quite a bit of blood and pain until we do."

Sam swallowed hard, his expression nothing short of misery. "Yeah that's not comforting, Cas."

"But we will get out of it, Sam. I know we will. You just have to take care of him, make certain that he doesn't stray off the path again."

At least long enough for him to find their sister and discover why and how she was meant to save the righteous man.

After another hour of driving Sam came to a stop in an empty parking lot where Cas had left his car, and Claire woke up at least long enough to stumble her way to the front seat and climb in. After that... Cas hesitated following and instead looked in on Dean.

He was still unconscious, whether it was exhaustion or just the mental strain of what happened that night, Cas didn't know. But, for the moment he was calm.

"Be careful out there, Cas." Sam said. "And keep me posted. I wanna know what's going on and what you find, okay?"

"Of course, Sam. I'll call you as much as I'm able." He replied, then passed another quick glance to the backseat of the Impala. "And, the same goes for you. I want to know how he's doing. And, if something happens then alert me immediately."

Sam nodded. "I will."

After a hug and a smack on the back, Cas moved over to his own car and climbed behind the wheel. He waited until Sam tossed a wave over his shoulder and sped out of the parking lot before starting the engine and letting out a sigh.

This was going to be difficult, and it was no big surprise that he didn't have a good feeling about it either.

Before leaving the parking lot he grabbed his laptop from the back seat and flipped it open, using the nearby hospitals WI-FI to immediately search for their sister.

He knew after he took her from the Winchesters' household and placed her on the doorstop of a local church, that eventually she was put up for adoption. He kept track of her for a few years after that.

Her last name was now was Grace, which he found extremely ironic. Laura Elizabeth Grace as a matter of fact.

It had been over twenty years since he had bothered to look in on her, so he wasn't certain where she was living now... Or, as a matter of fact if she was even alive. He hoped and prayed that she was... But, previously she had been living in a small farming town in Ohio.

After searching her name he received several different hits and had to sift through the other Laura Grace's that lived in Ohio. Eventually though... He found her and immediately he felt his stomach drop.

"Tragic murder suicide leaves eleven year old girl orphaned." He read aloud quietly.

This is what happens when he decides to let things progress on their own. He leaves, and then a few years later Laura's adoptive father goes insane and brutally stabs his wife in her sleep and then cuts his own throat...

"Where's Laura then?" He murmured, clicking around some more.

It required a bit more searching until he stumbled across some sort of online shop ad, noticing that she owned a pawn shop now still in that same Ohio town. And, previously, after her parents deaths she went to live with a family friend. An older man that passed away two years prior, and was actually the one to leave her the pawn shop in his will. It was funny, he thought, what all was written down in their local papers obituaries.

After falling back on a few little skills that Sam had actually taught him, he eventually came across the crime scene photos of Laura's adoptive parents. And, considering he had been traveling with Sam and Dean for many years he spotted instantly that that... Was _not_ a murder suicide.

He sat up straight after that, his eyes locking onto the bloody gory mess of photos and felt his eyes widen.

"Vampires..." He whispered, then cast a quick glance to Claire who murmured something in her sleep.

Laura's parents were killed by vampires. Both of their throats had been torn open in such a way that only an excelled hunter, or someone that _traveled_ with excelled hunters, would be able to spot it. It wasn't a murder suicide... Laura's father didn't slit his wife's throat in her sleep... They were both killed and made meals for damn vampires!

Cas felt his lips press tightly together after that, slamming his laptop closed. He should have known that rescuing Laura the night of the fire wouldn't save her from experiencing the supernatural world in one way or another. She was a Winchester... She was just as cursed as Sam and Dean, which meant her life would have never been normal no matter what he did. Dropping her off on that church doorstep that night had probably fouled up her life even more for all he knew. Had he left her in the nursery, had John taken her and Sam that night, then at least she would have grown up with two loving brothers. At least she would have been raised to know how to protect herself from that supernatural world that was content with ripping them all to shreds.

He had learned by now to not act as impulsively as he had in the past. But, that didn't mean that his past mistakes wouldn't come back to slap him in the face every now and then. And this... Was one of those mistakes. The way he looked at it, he probably ruined Laura's life even more than it would have been had she been raised with her true family.

But, she was grown now... An adult... And seemed to be fairing well considering her past traumas. She owned a pawn shop, and after searching a little more, found the house she lived in on a quiet dead end street. Didn't seem to be married or have any children though, he noticed.

He sat his laptop aside now and cranked the car into drive, leaving the parking lot behind. It was going to be a long drive. And he figured he would get there just as it was nearing breakfast time. That way he could maybe stop off and get something for Claire to eat, then track down the pawn shop and, _somehow, _find a way of convincing Laura to come with him without actually having to resort to abducting her. That... That was going to be the very last thing he would do.

Halfway to Ohio Claire had finally woken up, then sat up and wrapped her jacket around her tightly.

"How are you feeling?" Cas asked.

She flinched slightly, the tears finally fading away and seeming to be replaced with anger.

"I'm gonna kill your friend for what he did." She said. "He killed him... He killed him for no reason and-"

"You're not doing anything to Dean." Cas cut her off. "I understand you're upset, you're angry for what happened. But there's things you don't understand about the situation. What Dean did back there... It wasn't his fault. He's being controlled by something that he can't overpower."

"So, I'm supposed to just overlook that he killed my friend?" Claire returned. "I'm not gonna do that."

"And you're just going to overlook the fact that this so called _friend_, traded you to those men just to pay off his debts?" Cas returned, staring her down. "Like I said. You're angry, and you have every right to be. But don't be quick to cast the first stone when you don't know the entire situation, Claire."

"You're not my dad," She said, slinking down in her seat. "So stop trying to act like you are."

"I'm not trying to replace your father," He returned. "I'm simply trying to-"

"I get it." She interrupted. "You feel guilty, you feel bad for getting my dad killed and making my mom run away, so you think you're gonna make yourself feel better by taking in the poor little orphan girl. But you know what? I'm fine on my own, I would be a lot better off by myself."

"You're seventeen. You're not at all prepared to be on your own and the proof of that is by how much trouble you've been getting into. You were going to rob that Gas 'n' Sip, you went in there with a gun and were going to point it at an innocent man and steal from him. So, no... You won't be better by yourself."

She scowled, crossing her arms over her middle and falling silent for several long minutes.

"So where the hell are we going anyways?" She asked now.

"Ohio. There's someone that I need to speak to."

"Who?"

"Someone that can help with Dean's situation. Someone that can stop him from having such violent outbursts."

She chuckled, rolling her pretty blue eyes. "You know, there's always something called Thorazine for psychos like that."

He felt himself squint now. "Medication wouldn't fix something like this, Claire."

"Whatever." She pouted, slipping even lower in her seat until her eyes just barely managed to see out the passenger door. "You know, your car kinda sucks."

Now he frowned deeply. "Well... I like it."

"Castiel, the Pimp Angel." She snorted. "Guess you really have fallen, huh?"

Of course he had no idea what she meant by that, and decided to spare himself another unpleasant conversation by questioning her about it.

"If you're still tired then you should get some more sleep," He said instead. "We'll be there in approximately five hours."

She said nothing more and eventually did fall back to sleep, and Cas was left to the long drive with nothing but quiet and the nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

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><p>They rolled into town at just around seven in the morning, and they had a good hour to kill before the pawn shop opened and Cas could make the uncomfortable and nerve wracking visit. So, to kill that time he stopped off at a diner, waking Claire who was still just as angry and aggressive as the night before, then went inside and took a seat at a far end booth.<p>

"Order whatever you like." He said, his eyes scattering about the place.

"I'm not hungry." She spat back.

He sighed and rested his arms on the table. "I know that you're angry with me and I don't blame you. But being angry with me doesn't mean you should neglect your own health, Claire. So, eat something."

She pouted as she grabbed the menu and flicked through it, and a few moments later a waitress finally approached.

"What'll it be?" She asked.

"I'll have the pancakes." Claire answered, not tearing her eyes off the menu. "And coffee."

"Nothing for me, thank you." Cas added.

The waitress retreated back to the kitchen after that as Claire tried her best to ignore Cas and kept her attention out the window.

"So, this person," She said now. "The one you think can help Dean. Who is it?"

"I don't think I can explain that right now." He replied. "And... I'm going to have to ask you to do me a favor once we meet her."

"A favor?" She snorted. "Seriously? You think I'm just gonna start doing you favors now?"

"Please?" He rubbed his forehead. "This is very important, lives are on the line, Claire. And like I said, I understand you're angry with me, but don't let that anger be the reason people might die."

Her snark faded after that. "Okay, fine... Whatever... What do you want me to do?"

"This woman, she doesn't know Sam or Dean, and she certainly isn't aware that she can help Dean. I need you to follow my lead once we get there, play along with whatever it is I tell her, all right?"

"So you're gonna go in there and lie to that woman?" She leaned forward. "Yeah that's always a good start."

"It's needed. Believe me. I wish there was another way to go about it, but there isn't. So... Will you do that?"

She shrugged saying yet again, "Whatever."

He assumed that was her way to agreeing with things, at least sometimes. So, he sat back and waited while she finished her breakfast and after that, they left the diner and drove across town until coming to a stop outside the pawn shop.

It had only just opened twenty minutes prior, and so far he couldn't see any signs of movement through the windows.

"So this is where that chick is?" Claire asked.

"Yes, she owns this shop." He nodded.

"Well let's go get it over with then already." She was out of the car a half a second after that and Cas had no choice but to follow.

They crossed the street and made their way for the door when Cas spotted something on the window that made his feet pause.

Moving closer he bent down slightly just to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him; because he was nearly one hundred percent certain that he was looking at a hunters sign painted on the glass.

"What?" Claire asked, moving away from the door and stomping up next to him. "What's that?"

"Something that changes things significantly." He replied. "Follow my lead."

Hunters signs painted on the corners of the pawn shop window... This was no ordinary pawn shop, it was just a ruse to fool those passing by. To keep them from knowing what goods were _really _sold in this place.

Laura owned a hunters shop.

Cas stepped in first, hearing the bell above the door jingle obnoxiously.

Everything around him smelled old. There was furniture, old box television sets, books and clothes and just... Everything ancient and things that Dean would be inclined to call "crap".

Claire followed him through the rows of items, all of which Cas knew still was just a front for what was probably hidden in the back of the store. After seeing no one inside the building off hand, he moved to the counter and smashed his hand down on a little bell there and waited.

A good ten seconds later a young man came out from a door behind the counter and nodded hello.

"Morning." He said. "What can I help you with?"

Cas shifted his attention from the man and the rest of the store. "I, uh... It seems that I'm looking for a particular item. One that's not exactly very easy to find." He eyed the man closely. "Perhaps it might be stored in the back?"

The man nodded at that, catching on instantly. "Gotcha. You need to talk to Laura about that then. She can help you out."

"That would be perfect, thank you."

"Just wait here and... Don't touch anything."

Cas passed a quick glance to Claire who was fiddling with an antique flute which she quickly tossed back on the rack once she heard that. Now she awkwardly stood beside him.

"So, Laura's the chick?" She asked.

"Yes, and remember you said you were going to play along."

"I know. I'm not stupid."

They fell silent and waited, and a minute later the back door opened again as she stepped out.

First glances Cas noticed that she was what he considered tall for a female, which was understandable since she was Sam's twin, she was almost the same height as himself as a matter of fact. Her hair was the same color as Sam's as well, cut to just past her jaw and slightly wavy. In fact everything was very much similar to Sam, except that she was female. Same eye color, same pensive looking expression, they even had the same strides. Although, instead of dressed in plaid like Sam generally was, she wore a dark olive green tank top.

"She's pretty." Claire stated. "Really pretty."

"Hm." Cas murmured absently.

Laura came to a stop in front of them, giving a small smile that still Cas compared to Sam's.

"Hi," She said. "Corey told me you're looking for something specific?"

Cas nodded, somehow managing to not panic as he pulled a random lie out of the air.

"Yes, it's a... Well a particular amulet." He replied. "Something that's very rare and hard to come by."

Laura nodded, glancing to Claire quickly. "Right. Well, I don't have any amulets here or in the store room. Can you be more specific?"

She was trying to read him, Cas knew that. She probably had a very difficult time trusting hunters, especially strange ones that she'd never seen before.

"It's gold," Cas started. "Originated from Africa, Egypt, to be more precise." Pausing, he cleared his throat. "I've been told it's meant to ward off evil spirits."

Laura seemed to ease up some after that as she motioned to the back door. "Come with me."

Cas and Claire started off after her and Claire snickered. "What exactly am I playing along with?"

"I haven't decided yet." He whispered back.

He was just trying to read Laura too as a matter of fact. Just because she happened to be Sam and Dean's sister didn't mean she was at all trustworthy and not dangerous. Especially now that he knew she was somehow affiliated with the hunters community. For all he knew she could have been one of those hunters that shot first and asked questions later, the kind that didn't care who might have been in the line of fire just as long as she got the job done.

She pushed the back door open and nodded inside. "Go ahead."

Cas stepped in first, noticing immediately the devils trap painted on the ceiling. Obviously she led them there just to be safe, to make certain they weren't demons. So, he quickly passed through it and to the other side as Claire followed suit.

Laura eased up even more after that as she followed them inside and closed the door.

"All right, sorry about that." She said. "I never know who's gonna come in here now a days."

"It's fine, I understand." Cas replied.

"Now about that amulet," She said, snapping her fingers as she moved to a computer that was on another tall counter, grabbing a bar stool and sitting down in front of it. "I'm afraid I don't have any like one you described. But, that doesn't mean I can't track one down." She started typing away and Cas halfway had the urge to call her Sam just by that action. Of course she would be good at researching. "I work with a dozen or more shops around the country, and a few out of the country, so I can email them the specifics of what you're looking for and if they don't have it, they can get around to finding someone who does."

Claire barely heard any of that because she was too focused on all the potions, herbs, idols and other things lining the shelves in the room.

"That might work," Cas nodded. "If it's not too much trouble."

"Shouldn't be," She sighed, continuing to type. "But when it comes to special orders like this I usually have to charge extra for the time."

"That's not a problem."

She nodded and after typing around some more, grabbed a note pad and a pencil, then slid it across the counter to Cas.

"Write down the details. What it looks like, the measurements and the origins of where it was created. I'll send out the info and it might take a day or two before I get some responses. So, I hope you're not in any hurry." She added another small smile after that. "And... I'm gonna have to ask just how you knew about my store?"

Cas froze with the pencil in his hand. "Oh... Well that was just a stroke of luck. I was in town, and noticed the hunters signs in the window."

She nodded, then watched as Claire fingered a few of the idols from the shelf. "She's a little young to be a hunter."

"She's not a hunter." Cas replied, scribbling down the details for the phony amulet he made up on the spot. "I'm just taking care of her. Her family's no longer in the picture."

"Right." Laura replied. "And how long have you been in the business?"

"It feels like an eternity," He sighed. "Sometimes I firmly believe that it has been." Now he moved his eyes to hers. "What about yourself? How long have you been doing this?"

"I quit hunting a couple years ago once this shop was left to me. But, before that... I'd been at it for... God, I guess since I was eleven years old."

"Eleven years old is very young too."

"Yeah, well-" She shrugged. "Sometimes shit happens."

Of course he wanted more details than that, but couldn't exactly start prodding into her private life. He assumed that the "shit" she was referring to was when her adoptive parents were killed by vampires. Chances were good that the man who took her in afterwards had been a hunter, and that's how she was thrust into this life. It made sense, after all, since that man had left her the shop in his will.

"Well," Cas slid the note pad back. "This is everything I know about the amulet. You said it could be a couple days?"

"Yeah, most likely. If it's something that's rare and hard to find." She replied, then started typing again. "Do you have a number you want me to call you on, or do you just want to stop by again?"

"Oh, I'll just stop by again." Cas nodded.

"Okay, well... If there's anything else you need you can take a look around, but-" She motioned to the corners of the room and the security cameras stationed there. "Big brother's watching, so don't get sticky fingers."

He halfway smiled at that, because that sounded very much like Dean.

"Thank you." He finished, then moved back to Claire who was sniffing at a bundle of dried herbs.

"Well?" She whispered. "Did you talk to her or what?"

"Not about our issue." He answered. "That's going to require a little more thought."

"We're gonna be here a while, aren't we?" Claire groaned.

Cas huffed at that. "Yes, I have a feeling we are."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Here's the next chapter, thanks for reading :)**_

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><p>Two days passed and Castiel hadn't come up with a plan for coaxing Laura into coming with them. There just wasn't a simple way to go about it. Lying wouldn't work, that would just come back to, as Dean would say "bite him in the ass". His lies always seemed to come back eventually. To begin with it was hiding Laura from her brothers for all these years, then of course more years came and went and that eventually got pushed aside. It didn't matter however, because he didn't seem to learn his lesson. He lied to his best friends again and the results that time were taking the souls from purgatory and going completely insane. Somehow by a miracle Sam and Dean forgave him for that... He highly doubted they would forgive him for something like this however.<p>

Especially if it all came down to using Laura in a way he really didn't want to use her.

He had been pondering over the entire issue for those two days straight. Trying to understand exactly how Laura was meant to save the righteous man, her brother Dean. And unfortunately the only thing that was festering in his mind was the thought that maybe, possibly, she would have to sacrifice her own life to save his.

Something like that just seemed so cold and wicked. And even though he didn't know her, had only spoken with her that one time, she did seem to be a nice young woman. Not to mention she was Sam's twin sister, so his mind was certainly going head to head with his heart.

Of course it felt wrong that he was contemplating at all sacrificing Laura's life for Dean's, in fact it was twisting his stomach in a way that was almost painful.

Dean would never agree with something like that, no doubt about it. And once both brothers found out his intentions he wouldn't be surprised to find himself beaten into a bloody pulp because of it. There was no way they would allow their sister, their blood, to die for one of them. Never in a million years.

And yet there he sat, staring up the walkway to Laura's house all the while trying to conjure up some form of an explanation that would make the woman come with him willingly.

"This is boring," Claire blathered, resting her head on her hand. "How long are we gonna sit here?"

Castiel barely shifted his gazes from the small little white house in the yard. "Until I know what I'm doing."

"Uh, I thought you said that woman was gonna help Dean or whatever?" She replied. "If she can help him then why haven't you tried to talk to her about it or something?"

"Because it's not as simple as that, Claire." He sighed. "I can't just flat out say what's happening."

"Why not? She's a hunter right? Which means she's used to all that weirdo stuff, so maybe she would actually offer to help?"

Castiel clenched his jaw at that. Yes how much simpler it would be if he could just tell Laura the truth. That he'd known of her since infancy, that he rescued her from that nursery fire, that she had two brothers out in the world that would probably love to meet her. But no... Nothing was ever that simple for an angel, and it certainly wasn't going to start now.

"At least do something already," Claire groaned. "I'm hungry, and I'm bored, and my ass is falling asleep sitting here."

He barely flinched his eyes at her. "Don't say ass."

"I'm seventeen, I can curse if I want to. Fuck, shit... God dammit!"

Now his eyes rolled... Teenagers, they were every bit as moody and disobedient as he'd heard.

"All right." He said, pushing the car door open. "Follow me and remember to play along."

"Psh yeah right," Claire snorted. "Cause that went so well last time when absolutely nothing happened."

"Just... Follow me." He slammed the door now and started across the street with Claire right on his heels.

Normally he wouldn't rush into something like this, but Dean was living on borrowed time. And, normally he wouldn't just approach a situation like this and allow the first thing he could think of to roll out of his mouth, but it seemed he was doing that this time.

After moving up the walk and front porch stairs he let out a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.

This wasn't going to end well, he thought... Laura was going to be alarmed and wary once she saw who was standing on her porch.

Still, the door opened and naturally the first thing she did once seeing the two of them standing there was flinch slightly.

"Um," She said, peaking past them and to the street. "What the hell are you doing at my house?"

"I'm sorry," Castiel replied. "I know that this is probably very disconcerting but I can assure you that we're not a danger to you."

"Yeah right," She snickered, and pulled a pistol from the back of her jeans. "How did you find my house? Why are you here?"

For the moment she kept the gun at her side, which Castiel was thankful for. But that didn't stop Claire from taking a step back.

"My name's Castiel," He said. "Or, Cas if you prefer. I've come here because I think your life is in danger, Laura."

Her brows rose to the point her forehead creased, which Cas couldn't help but think looked very much like Sam.

"My life's in danger?" She replied. "Uh, and how the hell would you know?"

"Cause he's an angel." Claire said, giving a sarcastic smile. "You know, the kind with halos and wings and-"

"Oh shit." Laura interrupted. "Seriously? _Another _angel?"

Cas' brows furrowed. "Another angel? Does that mean you've encountered them before?"

"Yeah, back after they fell. It didn't take us hunters long to figure out that wasn't a meteor shower. Then, one by one they kept popping up in my shop. So one of them said it was because they lost their wings, and they needed particular items to help them communicate and travel long distances faster. I don't know what exactly they were brewing, but they bought out my stock of crystals." She stared at the gun in her hand for a moment before stuffing it back into her jeans. "I have to say though, it took a while for me to be convinced that it was actually angels coming in there. It took one of them smiting a demon that was trying to break in for me to finally believe it."

Cas tried to shake the surprise of that off. "Well, anyhow... As I said, your life is in danger."

"Danger how?" She replied quickly.

"A demon," He said, yet again just letting the lies roll out at random. "A very powerful one, or... If you want to get specific it's the King of Hell, he's after you."

Claire's eyes widened and she stifled back a chuckle.

"The King of Hell is after me?" Laura's face fell flat. "Uh, why exactly?"

"It has to do with who your family is."

"My family's dead, buddy-" She smirked. "Died back when I was eleven."

"Not your adoptive parents, Laura-" He continued. "I'm talking about your real family."

Now it seemed Laura might have been taking him seriously as she stepped aside and motioned for them to come in.

Cas stepped in first followed by Claire, and the first thing he noticed inside her home was shelves lined from floor to ceiling with books. She had two computers, one laptop and one desktop which were both on, and just overall was the sense that she did quite a lot of research and reading. Definitely Sam's twin.

"Okay," She said. "Sit down if you want. And I'm gonna ask just how you know that I was adopted?"

Claire flopped down on the sofa and kicked her feet up on the coffee table. "That's just something Cas does... Comes to poor little orphan girls rescues all the time."

Cas passed her a sideways glance. "That's a very long story, but essentially-" He paused, his eyes shifting quickly as another lie rolled its way out. "With being an angel I encounter demons frequently, and before smiting one he happened to mention that Crowley, the King of Hell, was coming after you. As it turns out your real parents were hunters as well, and before they died they acquired a certain item, I don't know what, but I suppose it was something that Crowley wanted for himself and he seems to believe that you have it. So, he's been searching for you."

Laura sat back after that keeping one eyebrow cocked. "Wow, you are a _terrible _liar."

Claire snorted a quiet laugh while Cas' face went blank. "Excuse me?"

"Sorry," She shook her head. "I know I don't know you very well, but I do know how to read people. And I can tell that you're lying. Normal peoples eyes don't go all crazy twirly like that when they're trying to help someone, so." She smirked slightly. "What's the _real _story?"

He sighed at that, letting his eyes fall to the floor. "While some of the details might have been fabricated I was telling you the partial truth. And that's your life could be in danger."

The way he looked it that part _wasn't _a lie... Because if she could die in saving Dean, then...

"By who?" She replied. "And don't give me that King of Hell crap."

"I'm not certain exactly... All I know is that I wouldn't be here unless it was an emergency."

"Look, no offense," Laura jumped to her feet. "I'm sure you're a nice guy and all, but I'm not buying this. I've met your kind before, and all of them were pompous douche bags, so how am I supposed to believe that you're any different?"

"He actually is," Claire said before Cas could speak. "See the guy he's wearing? That's my dad... Well, used to be my dad... He's dead now, but Cas decided he felt guilty or I dunno, responsible for me or something, so he came and took me out of lockup. So he's not exactly a douche bag I guess."

Yet again Cas passed her a sideways glance. "I know you're not going to believe me, you're going to think that I'm lying to you or trying to trick you somehow. But, I'm really not. I wouldn't have come here, and apparently, make a fool of myself if I felt it wasn't for a good reason."

Laura shifted on her feet for a moment before letting out a sigh and sitting again.

"Okay, I'll hear you out. But I want the truth this time. Don't tell me that my life's in danger because I don't believe you. So, if you don't want me to kick both of your asses out then I want to know what's _really _going on." She said.

Cas nodded, and was suddenly sensing that he was actually going to have to resort to dragging Laura out of there by force.

"You, uh... You have siblings." He started. "Two brothers as a matter of fact. You were separated from them when you were six months old."

Laura's expression didn't at all change. "Brothers?"

"Yes, their names are Sam and Dean Winchester. They're hunters, like you are, and to make a long story short one of them is in a very bad way. He could be dying, I honestly don't know what's going to happen to him. But, they're both very good friends of mine, like brothers to me too as a matter of fact, and I swore to Sam that I was going to find a way of helping Dean. And, I think that you might be able to aid me along in that."

Claire finally lost the sarcastic smirk she'd had the entire time sitting in Laura's living room. "Whoa, seriously? She's their sister?"

Cas ignored that question. "And perhaps I did go about this the wrong way, I shouldn't have lied to you, but I honestly believed that I had no other choice. Sam's desperate for help, and I suppose I am as well. All I know is that you're possibly the only one that might be able to save Dean."

Laura was silent for the most part after that, before leaning up with her elbows on her knees.

"Okay, so... Is it some kind of sickness or something?" She replied. "Like maybe it'll require a blood transfusion? Or..."

"No," Cas shook his head. "No it's nothing like that. If it was as simple as that I could have cured Dean a long time ago. No, this is caused by something that even an angel can't fix."

"So, something supernatural?" She nodded. "Well, that doesn't surprise me any if they're hunters like you said. Okay, so..." She stood again. "What do I have to do?"

Cas stared up at her slightly wide eyed. "You mean you'll help?"

"Well, yeah," She shrugged. "I mean, you just told me I have two brothers out there and one is dying. Do you really think I'd just sit back and do nothing about it? So really, what do I have to do?"

He stood now too. "I honestly thought I would have to convince you more than that, Laura."

"Yeah well, believe me I still have a lot of questions that I expect to get answers to. Like, just exactly how you knew about me, how I got separated from my real family when I was six months old... Things like that."

Cas nodded. "Of course, and I'll be happy to answer all of those for you. And, as far as what you're going to have to do... Unfortunately I don't know yet. There's still quite a bit about this situation that even I don't understand."

"Okay, so... Is there a plan of some kind? Where are Sam and Dean right now?"

"Probably at their current residence, but we can't go to them just yet. I would rather hold off on that until I know for certain what your role in all of this happens to be. And, well... Sam and Dean don't know about you. Sam was only six months old when you disappeared and-"

"Whoa," Laura interrupted. "So, we're twins?"

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry I suppose I forgot to mention that."

Now finally her expression changed to completely stunned as she fell back into the chair behind her.

"Wow, I... I guess that explains a lot of things then." She murmured.

He squinted. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, just... A feeling I guess. My entire life I always felt like there was something missing. Like there was a part of me that was just... Ripped away... Maybe that's why. Maybe it was always because he was supposed to be here, and he wasn't."

That made sense, he thought. Because twins, like they happened to be, were always supposed to have a very special almost psychic connection. Now Cas couldn't help but wonder if maybe the reason Sam was always so moody and sometimes just downright sad, was because of being separated from his other half. Of course Sam wouldn't have known the reason, but he couldn't help but wonder anyhow.

"Well," Laura let out a long sigh. "Since you don't know what I'm supposed to be doing yet, am I to take it that we're not gonna be heading out anytime soon?"

"I would prefer not lingering in one place too long. Even though your life might not be in danger, there still is a possibility that others out there might learn of your existence now, and I don't know what the outcome of that would be." He stopped and glanced back to Claire who was absently playing with the ends of her hair. "How long do you think it would take for you to be ready?"

"Um," She thought that over before shrugging. "Well, packing wouldn't take long at all. But my shop, I can't just run off and leave it. There's some things I have to get in order before I leave. I have to have a talk with my employee, so-" Pausing she thought for a few seconds. "Maybe a day."

He nodded. "That would be fine. In the mean time Claire and I will just stay out of your way."

"Ugh," Claire groaned. "I don't wanna sleep in the car another night, Cas."

"You've been making the poor kid sleep in the car?" Laura chuckled.

"Well, everything was rushed, so-"

"You can stay here." Laura interrupted. "Let Claire take a shower and she can crash in my spare bedroom. I got dinner in the oven, are you hungry?"

"Yes!" Claire jumped up. "I'm about to die."

"You're not about to die," Cas rolled his eyes. "You ate lunch four hours ago." He sighed now, returning his attention to Laura. "Are you sure? We wouldn't want to impose."

"I don't mind imposing." Claire smiled.

"It's fine," Laura chuckled. "Considering you seem to know so much about me I won't mind picking your brain later."

But answering her questions truthfully Cas still wasn't sure would be wise. At least though everything so far had went far better than he figured it would.

* * *

><p>It was late, past midnight, and the house had fallen into what would be a comfortable silence.<p>

Claire was asleep in Laura's spare bedroom, had eaten enough for two at dinner time, some sort of pot roast Laura had called it; and after a shower Claire was asleep at a little past ten.

Once Cas saw how exhausted the girl was, he realized that he was going about everything all wrong. Claire wasn't an angel, she wasn't like Sam or Dean either. She was just a child and she needed something more stable than sleeping in cars and eating unhealthy diner food everyday. From there on out he made a mental note to start stopping at more motels and halfway decent restaurants, at least so Claire could get a good nights sleep and maybe a healthy meal. If he was going to be caring for her from now on, then the least he could do would be to care for her in a way a parent would actually care for a child. Even if he had no idea how to do such a thing.

But things were quiet for now, and he found he'd been standing at the kitchen window overlooking the backyard for over an hour now as his mind wandered. He only tore his attention away from it once he heard a door creak open in the hall followed by footsteps.

Laura emerged a short time later carrying her laptop which she sat on the kitchen table and plugged back in.

"So, I was just doing a little researching," She said, taking a seat in front of her computer. "And, um... I have to say, my brothers... Wow... They've racked up some pretty serious charges against them. Oh, and according to this... They're dead?"

Cas cringed slightly and moved to sit in front of her. "Well I can explain that. They're hunters, and because of that the authorities aren't going to believe them if they happen to kill someone that looks like a human, even if it's a monster. And of course they're not dead... But that doesn't mean the police don't think that."

"Yeah I figured that," She sighed, then turned the laptop to face him. "Couldn't help but look at their mugshots," Now she pointed to Sam's. "Kinda weird really... How much I look like him."

"I thought that as well when I first saw you." He replied. "Your mannerisms and attitude seems to be just like his too. At least, that's what I've noticed so far."

She smiled faintly. "I also went a little further back. And... It says there was a nursery fire back in November of 83, that a Mary Winchester and her six month old daughter died in it. So how did I survive that and no one knew about it?"

"That... I'm afraid is a little more difficult to explain. But, from what I've gathered... Someone took you from the fire, saved you, and that's how you were separated from your family and eventually adopted." He cleared his throat nervously and quickly changed the subject. "I can't help but think about how coincidental it is that you're a hunter as well. One might think that since you were given a new life that you wouldn't have found that path."

Laura sat back, wrapping her hoodie around her tightly. "Yeah, well... It all started when I was eleven and a vampire decided to kill my parents. After that happened our neighbor took me in. He had always been friends with my mom and dad. Come to find out after they were dead that they had a whole other life I didn't know about. They'd been hunters too, and their friend that took me in was still a hunter. He was a good guy, a little crazy sometimes, but nice. He brought me up in the life after that. Thought it was only right considering my parents had been killed. He wanted to be sure I knew how to protect myself."

"So strange," He shook his head. "It's almost as though all of this was destined to happen, somehow."

But was she destined to die for Dean? That was still the unanswered question.

"We'll see, I guess." She eyed him for a few seconds before asking, "So what's really wrong with Dean? What happened to him?"

Cas folded his arms on the table in front of him and couldn't keep himself from frowning.

"It's been several months ago now, but Dean made a mistake. A hasty decision on the spur of the moment because he thought it was for the greater good. There's been a lot going on out in the world that you and other hunters don't know about. A very powerful demon, a Knight of hell to be precise, one that no one knew how to kill needed to be taken down. Dean was trying to find a way, and he did, but it came at a very horrible cost."

"What's that mean?"

"He, uh-" Clearing his throat, he swallowed hard. "He accepted something from someone, a mark and a blade, and unbeknownst to him doing so essentially damned him. The mark it... It changes a person, and not for the better. A few months back Dean was killed in an altercation, but he didn't stay dead. He came back, only... He came back as a demon."

Laura's eyes widened after that. "Oh my god, so is he still-"

"No," Cas interrupted. "No Sam managed to track him down. They knew of a way to cure demons, so that's what he did to Dean. He cured him and he's human again, but the mark... He still has it. Which means that he doesn't have any control over his actions, he tries, but the mark takes control and the result of that is people getting hurt. But you have to understand that under normal circumstances Dean would never do those things. He's a good man, he really is. You have no idea the things your brothers have done for the world, how much they've sacrificed to save innocent lives."

After brushing her hair back she blew out a deep breath. "Wow... I just... That at all wasn't what I thought you would tell me... So, what am I supposed to do about it? How am I supposed to help him?"

"Presently I don't know. And I know you probably think that I'm crazy for thinking you could somehow help, but... It's just a feeling. And, Sam and I are getting desperate I suppose. If we don't do something about Dean, and soon... Then I have no idea what's going to happen. All I know is that Dean begged me to not let him turn back into that monster, and even though I didn't necessarily agree to anything, I know that what he had become can never happen again."

"So," She rubbed her forehead. "Basically you're saying that if I can't somehow help him, then the only other option is to kill him?"

"It's not as simple as just killing him, but... Yes, I suppose that's what might happen."

"Shit..." She continued to rub her head. "God, look at me, I've never even met these two, didn't even know they existed and already I'm scared to death about what's going to happen to them. That's always a good sign, huh?"

He just barely smiled. "It just means you're really a Winchester. Believe me, this kind of behavior's not uncommon."

In fact he would have been surprised had Laura not cared at all. Because that's just now how the Winchesters' were. Sam and Dean were constantly, everyday almost, putting themselves in the line of fire for each other. It was safe to assume that their sister as well would do the very same thing.

"I better get to bed." She said, then stood from the table. "Got a lot of crap to finish up tomorrow," Stopping before she hit the hallway she turned to face them. "Oh, since we're not gonna be meeting up with them just yet, does that mean you're not gonna call them and tell them about me either? At any rate, maybe Sam might feel a little better knowing that you might have found someway of helping Dean?"

He lowered his attention to the floor again, finding it was much simpler to avoid anymore truths and to spout more lies if he wasn't looking her in the eye.

"I haven't decided if that would be good or not. I would hate to get their hopes up just in case there really isn't anything you or I could do." He answered.

"Yeah," She sighed. "You might be right. But, sometimes people think that having false hope is better than having no hope at all."

She turned and left the room now, disappearing down the dark hallway and Cas couldn't help but think that when it came to her brothers, she might have been right. They did always seem to cling to the faintest and almost invisible shred of hope they could find when it concerned the others welfare. Sam was doing that already, it was obvious. He wouldn't have begged Dean two nights ago to tell him it was an accident, that it wasn't because of the mark as to why he killed those men. Sam was so desperate to hear Dean say that, even if it was a lie, just so he could keep on going.

But he still wouldn't feel right by telling the brothers that he had a way to save Dean, and either it didn't end up working, or... Or worse than that... Finding the only way to save Dean was by killing their sister. There just didn't seem to be a positive outlook to anything anymore.


End file.
